FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Historic Florida Scenic Highway Becomes First Scenic Byway Recognized by Homegrown National Park
A 17-mile corridor in St. Johns County launches a community-driven effort to restore native habitat—linking local action to a national movement
St. Johns County, FL — [May,12, 2026] — A historic stretch of road in Northeast Florida is becoming a test case for how communities can restore native habitat at scale—starting right outside their front doors.
Homegrown National Park has announced a new partnership with the William Bartram Scenic & Historic Highway, a 17-mile corridor along State Road 13, to plant native species, remove invasive plants, and reconnect fragmented habitat from roadside edges to neighborhoods, schools, parks, and open spaces.
The initiative makes the Bartram Scenic Highway the first byway recognized by “Homegrown National Park”—linking a locally coordinated effort to a growing national movement focused on biodiversity restoration.
William Bartram, widely considered America’s first native-born naturalist, traveled this region in the 1770s, documenting hundreds of plant and animal species in what became one of the most influential works in American natural history. Organizers say this effort brings his legacy into the present—restoring native plants along the same landscape he once explored.
“When you drive this corridor, you can already feel that this place is special,” said Joe McAnarney, Chair of the William Bartram Scenic & Historic Highway Corridor Management Council. “This partnership is about deepening that connection—helping people not just appreciate the landscape, but actively participate in restoring it.”
Unlike traditional roadside beautification projects, the effort extends beyond the highway itself. The partnership calls for native plant demonstration gardens in parks, schools, and residential communities, with residents and businesses invited to participate through Homegrown National Park’s Biodiversity Map—turning individual properties into part of a connected habitat network.
Early work is already underway at Westminster Woods on Julington Creek, where residents worked alongside local volunteers and Master Gardeners to install the first demonstration garden on May 6th —bringing restoration into everyday community life.
“This corridor already functions as infrastructure that moves people,” said Tim Snyder, Executive Director of Homegrown National Park. “What this partnership does is add another layer—living infrastructure that supports the health of the ecosystem people depend on. It’s a powerful idea: the same landscape that connects communities can also help sustain them.”
Organizers say the corridor could serve as a model for communities nationwide—showing how scenic corridors and everyday landscapes can double as habitat, reconnecting history with modern conservation.
Residents, businesses, and community groups can all participate by adding native plants and registering their spaces on Homegrown National Park’s Biodiversity Map at:
https://homegrownnationalpark.org/map/
ABOUT HOMEGROWN NATIONAL PARK
Homegrown National Park catalyzes people to plant native and remove invasive plant species at home and in their communities—one of the most impactful actions anyone can take to restore and protect the natural habitats that support all life.
Grounded in the science of renowned ecologist Doug Tallamy and co-founded with Michelle Alfandari, Homegrown National Park demonstrates how restoring native plant communities supports the insects, birds, and other wildlife that keep ecosystems—and people—healthy. This work is essential to safeguarding the natural systems we all depend on: clean air and water, food production, and climate stability.
Through our Biodiversity Map and practical tools, we support individuals, organizations, and communities in taking meaningful, science-backed actions as part of a growing, collective movement to make native habitat restoration mainstream.
Learn more at: https://homegrownnationalpark.org/
Media contact:
Jessie Eagan
Communications Coordinator
jessie@homegrownnationalpark.org
317-488-7349
ABOUT THE WILLIAM BARTRAM SCENIC AND HISTORIC HIGHWAY
The William Bartram Scenic and Historic Highway is a 17-mile designated Florida Scenic Highway along State Road 13 in St. Johns County, Florida, stewarded by its Corridor Management Council. Named for America’s first native-born naturalist, the corridor is committed to preserving its historic oak canopy, native landscapes, and the ecological legacy of the land William Bartram explored and documented in the 1770s.
Media contact:
Joe McAnarney
Chair
William Bartram Scenic & Historic Highway
Joemcanarney@yahoo.com